Take a deep dive...

into a featured guest’s personal history; the pivotal moments of their childhood and adulthood that defined them and the crucial and sometimes painful decisions they made that forever changed the course of their lives.

THIS WEEK ON THE PODCAST

Episode 104: Turning Dark Into Light – Twentyone Olive Trees: A Mother’s Walk Through the Grief of Suicide ft. Laura Formentini

Laura Formentini was in Ethiopia when her son Blaise died by suicide. An empath like her, he had difficulty connecting to the material world and day to day life often felt overwhelming for him. Though it took years and has been painful, she has come to accept and honor her son’s choice to no longer be here. Humanitarian work and sponsoring more than 40 kids in 18 years enabled her to survive her grief and transform it into a healing force in the world. She truly believes it is possible to turn dark into light even while experiencing loss. Laura joins the last episode of And Then Everything Changed to tell Blaise’s story and talk about her new book Twentyone Olive Trees: A Mother’s Walk Through the Grief of Suicide.
 

ABOUT YOUR HOST

I’m a writer, a teacher, a native New Yorker, and I love hearing about people’s lives. When I think back to my elementary school days at PS 20 in Flushing, Queens whenever we began social studies or a history lesson I wasn’t that interested in learning about battles, topography, or politics. What I wanted to know was how people lived: What their families were like, how they adapted to their circumstances, what they ate, how they celebrated, how they felt.

Sociology became my major at Binghamton University and in my life so far I’ve been an actress, a salesperson, a Zoo Keeper’s Aid, a volunteer animal trainer, an ELL teacher, a mother, and a wife. I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had, all of which led me to create this podcast which is one of the most rewarding projects I’ve undertaken. I couldn’t ask for a better job than having in-depth conversations with survivors, thought leaders, authors, social justice warriors, and people who believe that we are all connected and then getting to share their stories, insight, and vulnerability with listeners.

I’m so glad you’ve landed on this page. I hope you find stories here which resonate with you and that you’ll tune in every week. 

OTHER EPISODES

AWARDS

And Then Everything Changed

2020 Communicator Awards Excellence - Podcasts -
Series-Documentary For Podcasts

Seeds from the Storm, And Then Everything Changed podcast episode 6

2020 Communicator Awards Excellence - Podcasts -
Individual Episodes-Documentary for Podcasts

Ronit Plank host, And Then Everything Changed

2020 Communicator Awards Excellence - Features - Host for Podcasts

A Living Person Among the Dead, episode 1 And Then Everything Changed

2020 Communicator Awards Excellence - Podcasts - Individual Episodes-Documentary for Podcasts

Thanks For Listening!

OTHER PROJECTS

MOUTHY/MESSY/ MANDATORY

I co-hosted Mouthy/Messy/Mandatory with Katie Anthony, a weekly podcast where we talk current events, feminism, family, politics, celebrities, and what it’s like to be a woman right now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

MORE...

KUOW’s The Record

I had the chance to speak with Bill Radke of KUOW’s The Record about my essays on Wild Wild Country and the effect Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had on families.

Inside Voice

Thank you Jennifer Scharf of Inside Voice for interviewing me and inviting me to record my essay “Not So Glamorous”.

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